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power, Balaam deliberately argued with the poor beast in a spirit of obdurate cruelty; but, when at length he beheld the Angel, he was afraid-and although Balak “went out to meet him, unto a city of Moab which is in the border of Arnon," he did not venture to curse the Israelites; and he said, "I have received commandment to bless, and He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it." In several sublime figures, Balaam apostrophized on the future greatness and glory of Israel, particularly on the "Star" that should " come out of Jacob," and the "Sceptre" that should "rise out of Israel," which had doubtless an immediate reference to the external throne of David; but, as many of the predictions in the Psalms and prophetical writings, which allude to the government and the conquests of the son of Jesse, have also a mystical application to the Messiah who was to come, so, this parable of Balaam may be understood to denote the power of Him who destroys the enemies of His spiritual Israel; whose advent, as "God manifest in flesh," was marked by the appearance of a "Star," before unseen by the Eastern Magi, who guided

by a supernatural intelligence, followed its course, until they found the infant Jesus, to whose "Sceptre" they declared their allegiance, worshipping Him, and dedicating their offerings to Him, as the divine Person who was "born King of the Jews."

CHAP. LII.-The Moabites induced the people of Israel to join them in worshipping their idol Baal-peor. The Midianites also, instigated by the wicked counsel of the apostate prophet Balaam, beguiled them into a course of gross iniquity. The idolators were slain and a plague swept away great numbers of the people. "And the Lord commanded Moses, saying, Vex the Midianites, and smite them, for they vex you with their wiles." "And they warred against the Midianites ;" and "slew the kings of Midian; Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword." After these events, Moses, in a strain of solemn exhortation, rehearsed to the people, and in the ears of his servant Joshua, the mighty acts of Jehovah for the deliverance of Israel: together with the statutes which had been given unto them: and He set before

them, in most awful contrast, the blessings which would be abundantly showered down upon them from above, on condition of their fulfilling the divine law; and, on the other hand, the dreadful curses which would desolate and destroy them, if they forsook the Lord their God, and rebelled against His holy commandments. The obedience which Jehovah enjoined upon them, (and which He requires of all His people to the end of time,) was not a mere outward conformity to the ordinances of a ritual covenant, but that devotion of mind, which alone is acceptable to a God of perfect purity and love: as Moses declared, "The Lord will rejoice over thee for good, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul: for this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it afar off. . . . But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayst do it." Moses directed the attention and hopes

of the Israelites to a prophet like unto himself, who was to come; and the Apostle Peter applies the prediction directly to our blessed Redeemer, who, as the Leader of the spiritual Israel, and the Lawgiver of the New Covenant, which is "established upon better promises" than that of Moses, is the glorious antitype of this servant of God. "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you; and it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." Acts iii. 22, 23. And we may understand this prophecy, as well as the typical sacrifices ordained by the law, as amongst the instructions graciously vouchsafed by Christ, when, after His resurrection, "He expounded" to the two disciples journeying to Emmaus, “ the things concerning Himself," which were to be found in "Moses and all the prophets."

In sublimely prophetical language "Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death :"-after which he went up

from the plains of Moab unto the mountain Abarim to the top of Pisgah, (one of the heights of the mountain,) whence he was permitted to behold the promised land; after which, on Mount Nebo, another of the peaks of the same mountain, he died "in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord." "And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days."

CHAP. LIII-None of the generation of the Hebrews, whom the Lord had delivered out of the hand of Pharaoh, survived Moses, save the two faithful spies who had brought up a true report of the good land; Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Hoshea, the son of Nun. The name of the latter had been changed by Moses to Joshua (or, as in after ages he was called, Jesus,) which signifies a Saviour-And Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the children of Israel hearkened unto him."

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And the Lord commanded Joshua, saying, "Arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give

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